news WADENA - A Minnesota woman who was pregnant when a tornado dropped a cow on her last summer has given birth to the baby. Samantha Wittstruck of Wadena says she's thankful the baby survived last year's scare. Wittstruck was one month pregnant when the tornado destroyed her home June 17. She was knocked...
Brainerd, 56401

Brainerd MN 506 James St. / PO Box 974 56401

2011-01-09 22:03:45

WADENA - A Minnesota woman who was pregnant when a tornado dropped a cow on her last summer has given birth to the baby.

Wittstruck was one month pregnant when the tornado destroyed her home June 17. She was knocked out during the chaos and awoke to find the cow on top of her.

Her fetus may have benefited from the fact that the incident occurred early in the pregnancy.

Wittstruck says she paid tribute to her daughter's survival by naming her Skylar. She says the first syllable recalls the sky.

Skylar was born earlier this month, becoming Wadena's first newborn of 2011.

KSAX-TV says a church member marked the event by donating a quilt with cows on it.

The June 17 tornado destroyed about 20 city blocks in southwest and northwest Wadena.

The multi-vortex tornado in Wadena had wind speeds estimated at 170 mph. The twister was rated an EF4 by the National Weather Service in Grand Forks, the second-strongest rating of tornado on the Enhanced Fujita Scale.

The tornado was 1.1 miles wide at its peak and traveled 10 miles before its destructive path ended. There were 268 structures damaged, including houses, area businesses, the Wadena-Deer Creek High School and the community center; 25 families lost their homes; and 34 people were injured, including one critically.